


New Found Home

by tetetummy



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Post-Season/Series 03, Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan References
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-18 00:42:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28983570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tetetummy/pseuds/tetetummy
Summary: SPOILERS  (takes place after the Return to Shiganshina arc - season 3 in the anime)After the retaking of Shiganshina, the remaining Scouts are granted a well needed break for two months. Within this time, Captain Levi Ackerman is struggling to fill his days in an attempt to block out any thoughts of his companion and leader, Erwin Smith, whilst also suppressing the rage that threatened to consume him after losing Zeke to the Cart Titan. He finds himself in The Underground, wandering without destination. After saving a woman from a group of thugs, he is shown a new kind of love and care, one which may end up saving his life.
Relationships: Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin)/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 2





	New Found Home

"Levi."

A shuffle of feet moved further into his room. Perhaps if he remained silent, under the bed sheets, they would go away.

"Levi."

Why do they insist on constantly pestering him like this. Doesn't anyone have any sense as to when he wants to be left alone?

"Levi!"

At this he sprang upright on the bed, sheets falling to his lap, revealing a very loose and stain covered black shirt. Levi glared at the intruder, his eyes slowly adjusting to the light seeping through the windows. He blinked furiously at Hange, who only smiled in response. They held a small bundle of clothes and a short stack of paper in one hand, balanced rather precariously, and a small tray that held a few slices of bread and a cup of black tea.

"Levi, good morning!" they grinned, "or rather good afternoon."

"Hange, what do you want, can't you see I'm resting," Levi spoke, his voice rough and broken after such a long time without use. Since the Survey Corps were granted an extended period of rest, Levi had rarely exited his room in the Survey Corps' headquarters. He slept for the majority of the time, having taken a bad habit to using sleep aids. The rest of his time was spent reading reports and enduring Hange's new experiment ideas. His mind was constantly spinning, he was unable to focus for any extended period of time, which resulted in frequent scoldings from his superiors. 

"I think it's about time you get up and get out of this room, Levi," they replied, eyes softening as they looked at their friend. Hange had noticed Levi's declining state, both mentally and physically. He was still probably one of their strongest soldiers, however he was beginning to lose the spark that would keep him fighting. After their last mission, the entire population had been shocked to hear of the death of the previous commander. Erwin Smith seemed to be the one person who the Survey Corps would never lose. His spirit and drive to achieve his goal kept him going, never faltering, never stopping. So when the news of his death reached the rest of the Military Police and the Garrison regiments, no one knew how to handle the information. Of course, some felt happy to finally be rid of the pest that was Erwin Smith, but the majority felt despair at the loss of such a brilliant mind who had finally retaken the walls that were once lost to the titans. 

None took the loss as badly as Levi had. He had refused to discuss the loss with anyone, choosing instead to build his own walls around his emotions. Hange had tried many, many times to bring the subject up, hoping for Levi to have an opportunity to vent some of his emotions. These attempts were squashed, the man scoffing and claiming indifference.

"It was his time," he had once muttered, before retiring once again to his private room.

Currently, Hange was witnessing the true extent of Levi's decline. The man who once reeked of bleach and other cleaning materials, now emitted a smell that could possibly be referred to as sweat and body odour. His hair was messy and slightly greasy, sticking up on one side of his head from lying on his side for too long. His face was gaunt and paler than usual, reaching an almost pasty grey complexion. His dark eyes were bloodshot and barely cracked open, which did not prevent him from shooting Hange a look that would have any being, human or titan, running and screaming for their life. For Hange, they had been on the receiving end of this glare so many times that it did not faze them anymore. 

"I have no schedule today, Hange," he informed. "Get out, before I have to throw you out."

"Ah, that's where you are wrong, my dear best friend," they returned, setting the contents in their hands down on the chest of drawers at the side of the room. "As your commander, I have a task for you to complete."

Levi raised his eyebrows at this. Hange had taken up the position of commander upon Erwin's request, yet hadn't really imposed any orders upon Levi or other squad captains as of yet. Perhaps they were just getting used to the role of commander. Levi knew that it was the right decision to have Hange as commander, they were extremely intelligent and fair. They were the perfect person to take on the role after the secrets of Grisha Yeager's basement were uncovered. 

Now that was a completely different revelation than anyone was expecting. Levi didn't really want to ponder it too much, his aim in life was to kill Zeke, not work out the politics of a completely new world that seemed to only be interested in oppressing future generations for the past generation's evils. It made his head hurt, all this talk of spinal fluids and Eldians and new technologies. His dream of owning a tea shop in the future still remained, damned be all else. He would get there, but only after he finally dispatched the monkey-man. 

"What task could you possibly need me to take care of, couldn't you entrust it with one of those brats?" he groaned, flinging his legs over the side of the bed. "How about Mikasa? She seems capable of following orders, although not when they include her two titan boyfriends."

Hange let out a bark, teeth gleaming as her head flung back.

"Levi, you are my most trusted friend and subordinate," with the word 'subordinate', Hange shot a wink at Levi, to which he rolled his eyes. "Look, it's not a difficult job, I just need you to go to the Underground and hunt out some new recruits. You are the most qualified for this job as you know the Underground like the back of your hand and you know who to look for in terms of quality of solider."

Levi's eyes widened at this. The Underground? He hadn't been back there for years. A shallow burn of pain bubbled up through his throat. Isabel and Furlan had sprung to his mind. They were the closest people Levi had ever considered to be family, until he met Hange and Erwin. To think that he lost them to those scum eating, wretched, titan bastards made his fists curl up in anger. 

He shook his head. They were gone. He couldn't do anything about it. What good would getting emotional do? He had no regrets. No regrets.

-

After consuming the breakfast/lunch that Hange had brought up for him, Levi set about getting washed and dressed. As he brushed his teeth after his first shower of the week, he finally had a chance to look at himself in the mirror. His previously built, yet lean, form had almost shrunken entirely, looking frighteningly similar to his 12 year old physique. Collarbones stuck out painfully beneath his throat and his hair lay limp across his forehead. He could probably do with a haircut. The shaven sides had grown quite long as well. He looked tired. The dark circles under his eyes were a sore purple and the crows feet at their corner aged him by at least 5 years. He looked pathetic. What would Erwin think of him now? He'd be disappointed that Levi had allowed himself to neglect his personal care this much. A lecture would probably ensue regarding self hygiene and the importance of maintaining a healthy weight in order to fully utilise the ODM equipment. 

_Tck_

He's dead. He's gone. As the result of Levi's own decision, his commander was dead.

Slamming the toothbrush back in it's holder, Levi made his way to his closet to pick out his uniform. This was the first time he has had to wear it in almost a month, choosing to wear a grey suit to any official business instead. The thought of returning to the Underground wearing such obvious clothes made him slightly uneasy. He knew that it was only proper to wear it, but after a moment of deliberation, he decided against wearing his uniform. He hung it back up in the wardrobe, instead opting for slacks and a white shirt. Grabbing a dark grey jacket that had been thrown over his sofa, he made his way to the door. After lacing up his boots, he left the comfort of his room and made his way down to his office. Papers had been left on his desk, courtesy of Hange, which were to be used if Levi spotted any potential recruits. 

He gathered them up, as well as some money in case he needed to buy anything down in the Underground. A knock was heard at his door and he huffed out in annoyance. What now?

He pulled the door open, only to be met with Armin Arlert. If he had known this brat had been outside the door, he wouldn't have opened it. Armin's eyes were wide and he seemed to shake slightly. In his hand was a small box. It was black and seemed to shine when light reflected off of it.

"Captain, sir," Armin saluted, always the polite one, "Commander Hange informed me of your expedition to the Underground, sir."

What was this about? I didn't want a companion, so he had better not want to join me.

"I-I," Arlert stammered, obviously overwhelmed at whatever he needed to say. His mouth quivered as his huge eyes flitted about my office, avoiding any contact with my own. "I brought you a gift, sir."

Huh? He brought a gift?

"Arlert, what's this about? It is not my birthday, nor do I have any reason to be receiving a gift, least of all from you." My voice was low and soft, as I felt slightly sympathetic to this terrified rabbit. 

He pushed the small rectangular box towards me, insisting that I take it and that I will understand when I open it. When the box finally leaves his hands, he scuttles out of my office and scampers down the dark cold hallway, trying to create as much distance as possible between us. Standing in utter confusion for a moment, the box feels slightly weighted in my hands. I begin to examine the shiny surface. The sleek, black texture encapsulates the entire surface. A small bronze hasp latch held the top firm against the bottom of the box. I reached to undo the latch, pulling the lid up and revealing the mysterious gift inside. 

Purple velvet lined the inner portion of the decorative box. It was quite expensive looking, something I was unsure that Armin Arlert could ever afford, especially not at his rank. On the bed of velvet lay a knife. My hands began to shake as the realisation hit me. It was the knife I dropped when Erwin and the Scouts arrested my friends and I in the Underground. How did Armin get a hold of it? How did he even know about it? Why would he gift it to me?

I lifted the knife from the box, weighing it carefully between my fingers, twirling it slightly. Looking closer, I made out a carving on the wooden handle.

**THANK YOU - E**

The air rushed from my lungs, my hand dropped the container and clutched at my chest. A heavy thumping beat against my ribs, like a prisoner trying to escape their cell. It hurt. It caused me so much pain. I couldn't breathe, my lungs refusing to expand or constrict. I was choking on nothing. The knife felt so, so heavy. I had never held something so substantial in all of my life. The injection I delivered to Armin didn't come close to the weight of this knife. I couldn't describe it. This small utensil I had once used to slash thieves and murderers with, now held all of my crushed soul. 

Erwin had it. All of this time. He kept it safe, polishing it and ensuring that it was never lost. Erwin was not a very emotional man, rarely straying from the task at hand. Yet, he picked this up the day we met and intended on giving it back one day. Did he know? Did he know that he was going to die on that expedition? Is that why he had it engraved in this way? Questions streamed through my brain, so fast that I couldn't keep up. Drops of water splashed against the blade as well as the floor. I was crying. I hadn't cried since I lost Isabel and Furlan. 

A loud chime from my clock alerted me out of my thoughts. I roughly wiped the tears away from my cheeks, scoffing at myself for letting my emotions get the better of me. Hange had a mission for me and I, as one of their Captains, had a duty to carry it out to the best of my abilities. I kicked the case further into my office, snatching my personal leather harness that I used for ODM equipment. Clutching the knife close to my chest, I made my way from my office down to the ODM shed. I collected the necessary appliances and fitted them to my harness, tightening them as much as possible. I checked each blade to ensure that they were as sharp as could be, filing off one with a renewed vigour. 

With Hange's papers tucked securely into my chest harness and my knife clasped in a holder on my hip, I set about making my way to the stables. Hange was waiting at the stables for me with a few of the young scouts, who were carrying out their daily chores. Jean and Connie were too busy mucking out the horses individual stalls, occasionally throwing handfuls of straw covered poop at each other, to notice my presence. I preferred that, not really wanting to have to stop and make any form of small talk with them. 

Hange waved me over to my own horse's stall. The beautiful black horse had somehow managed to survive the battle at Shiganshina, one of the four horses who made it out alive. He was a large stallion, one of the fastest and most agile creatures that I have ever seen. I had yet to name him, perhaps it was too late now. 

"Are you ready?" Hange grinned. I nodded curtly. Hange had already tacked up the horse, which I thanked them for. Softly gripping the front of the saddle and hiking my leg into the closest stirrup, I swiftly pulled myself up onto the beast. Settling into a comfortable position, I shifted my gear into a more accessible reach. "Hopefully, you will be back tonight or tomorrow, but if you do have to stay for longer, please send word to me. You know that I will worry if you remain silent."

"You do not need to concern yourself about me, I will be fine," I stated, ruffling Hange's hair as I guided my horse out of his stall.

"You saying that does not change the fact that I will worry," they giggled, slapping my thigh playfully. I shot them a glare before calling my goodbyes and nudging my horse to start galloping.


End file.
